Thursday, August 21, 2008

Blogging

Along with other UU bloggers, I was taken by the post on Philocrites' site about UU blogging. I read the Best Practices PDF and enjoyed it quite a bit. I've been blogging for about 8 years now I think, but my UU(ish) blog is a bit different in that it's totally public, and focuses on my life through the prism of my spiritual path.

Survey asks (in my best emcee voice):Who is your intended audience?I blog first for myself, as a record of my path and of some milestones in my family. Then I blog for those who are seeking info about UUism or what kind of person might be called to minister and is on that path. Finally, I blog for friends and family who may also be interested in what my spiritual path looks like.

Who owns your blog? Does it belong to you as individual or to your congregation or other organization?

I own it as an individual.

How frequently do you post?

Anywhere from once a week to once or twice a day, depending on what's going on in my mind.What is the tone of your blog?I try to be friendly - I cover whatever interests me - politics, religion, personal issues, family issues, books I'm reading. A lot of my writing is meant to help me process my own thoughts and generate feedback and others' experiences.

What steps do you take to make sure that your blog is a safe space, both for you and for other participants? Do you have a code of conduct?

I don't have a code of conduct, but I do require people to sign in and avoid bot comment posting. If there was something offensive in my comments (as opposed to controversial), I would delete it.

What kinds of boundaries do you observe around confidentiality?Kind of the point of this is for me to feel free to have a public persona for the first time. I try not to post photos or information about others w/o their consent.

How do you respond to comments and email from readers?I respond to most comments personally, unless they are just general "I agree" kind of things.What are the most challenging aspects of blogging in your experience?Finding time to blog when my kids don't need me. And in the fall when school starts up again, it will be even more limited.

What are the most rewarding aspects of blogging in your experience?

Meeting other UUs and others with whom I can engage in meaningful conversation about spirituality, politics, etc.

What advice would you give to Unitarian Universalists who are new to blogging and want to get started?Answer these questions for yourself, at least informally, and read a lot of blogs to figure out what your purpose and audience are.

How do you evaluate the success of your blog? What have been your most successful blog posts or series?

I guess if I feel good about what I've written and I get comments that stimulate further conversation, then that is success on some level. I haven't done any "series" yet, but plan to.

What do you wish you had done differently in your blogging?I can't really think of anything.

What other online tools do you use to promote your blog? (i.e. social networking sites, Twitter, social bookmarking tools, etc.)I have it linked on my livejournal page, but that's it.

Do you use an Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed? How many subscribers do you haveI do, and I have no idea!

Do you track site traffic? How many unique visitors do you have per day (on average)

I don't track it.

Do you find Unitarian Universalist Association resources helpful to you as a blogger? What additional resources could we provide to Unitarian Universalist bloggers?